


War Comes to Kamino

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Series: Changing Fate [10]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Soldiers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 03:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6736816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Qui-Gon and company return to Kamino to insure the contingency orders cannot harm clones or Jedi, and to handle loose ends. Their enemy uses this to advantage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	War Comes to Kamino

There were too many threads being pulled from the tapestry, Palpatine thought, his eyes narrow. He had learned by Vision that his hidden project on Kamino had come to light too soon. He had been informed by agents within the Separatists of just who had severed the lifeline of his more promising apprentice, Tyranus. He had a growing anger against these meddlesome Jedi, to the point that he was almost willing to sacrifice the Force-Born child with them. 

How sweet it would be, though, to take Anakin Skywalker and mold him now. Far better than the ally he had in a Nightsister who hated him for the death of her son. Promising her the chance to break and rebuild Skywalker had mollified her to a degree, though, even if he had no intentions of following through on that promise. No, she would be disposed of.

Their attempt to undo the trio had failed… and now they seemed to have slipped off planet again. Were they returning to Kamino? That felt likely.

Darth Sidious opened his comm device. "Viceroy, it is time… prove your army's worth this time by destroying the Jedi who defeated you at Naboo. Kill Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but bring me Skywalker!" He transmitted the coordinates of where the three would be, and cut the communication on the stammered repetition and avowal of success from the man.

++++

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said, even as they maneuvered to land on the platform, carrying greetings from the entire Jedi Council and tamper-proof documents authorizing each of their little group to act on behalf of the Council regarding the clones.

"You? There's a reason I have stayed awake most of the flight here," Anakin said, shuddering for that last full sleep and the horrifying vision he'd had.

Qui-Gon leaned against the door frame, behind the pilots, his senses all thrown out in as wide a net as he could hold, even against the overpowering presence of each of those cloned lives within the city. 

"Well, that makes three of us," he said, his voice quietly dry. "Something is wrong — not inside the city, but…." 

"Nothing for it but to land, unfortunately. We told Taun We that we were on final approach," Obi-Wan said, watching as Anakin handled the ship so easily, despite the buffeting winds and rain. Where was the threat? 

Was that a reflection, not of water, but metal, waiting off the port side of the landing pad, deep below at the water level? Could it be nothing more than a support pylon or anchor rod?

"And be on guard," Anakin said under his breath, readying the magna-clamps of the ship's landing gear, to better secure it on the pad.

"What did you see, my own?" Qui-Gon asked, leaning forward, unable to miss the shift in Obi-Wan's attention when he was this open to the Force. "And yes, Anakin." 

"I'm not certain, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said, as nothing offered him a confirmation. "It might have been part of the structure itself, but I thought I saw metal glinting, at the water level, on the port side."

"I doubt you got distracted by something like the structure," Anakin said. He growled slightly. "How much rain can a saber take before it shorts?" He was not looking forward to fighting in this driving rain at all, but his instincts said they would.

"A good bit, if you've designed it well," Qui-Gon answered, stretching his hand out to ruffle Anakin's close-cropped hair, as his Padawan set them down, "so yours is surely in no danger." 

"I'd say yours, like ours, won't short unless fully immersed," Obi-Wan said, adding his vote of confidence. 

They had their hilts near their hands, ready as they moved down the ship ramp, but the only sound and motion was from the storm and ocean, the whole dash to get to the facility door. Maybe Obi-Wan had imagined it and Anakin started to veer off to actually go look, impatient for the idea of an ambush.

"Anakin," Qui-Gon said, low warning for his Padawan to stay with them, as they reached the slight overhang before the doors. He felt nothing -- he felt _nothing_ in the water, none of the hunting fish, and the wrongness of that warned him that they were, in fact, in danger. "Back to back." 

"What if they are inside?" Obi-Wan asked, now seeing the door as less a haven and more a threat.

"Like I wasn't worried already!" Anakin said, in an explosion of air. He shifted his senses inward, touch the clones. "No, I don't think so. Unless well-hidden. No agitation there."

"There are three of us," Qui-Gon pointed out, while he wished that whatever had made the ocean so empty here would _show itself_. "We can keep an eye on the doors." 

"I'm putting rain on the list next to sand," Anakin grumbled.

"Oh that is ser--"

Obi-Wan's words cut off as he let his lightsaber hiss to life at something on the far side sounding out of place under the roar of the storm. Anakin needed no further warning, as he paid attention to his side, moments before a full squadron of battle droids swarmed up the facility's side, a behemoth of a submersible tank surfacing behind them. 

"Both sides!" Obi-Wan said, having realized the far side was being swarmed, so that they could be flanked.

"Grand," Qui-Gon growled, the clinking of droid feet a sound he would have preferred to forget, his lightsaber hissing to life in his right hand. "And us with an entire city to defend!" 

They could deactivate battle droids all day, but unless they could get to the controls of that ship, that was what it was going to be. And in this cold, surf, and chop— 

"Well, Master, it looks like I get to fly solo again," Anakin said, breaking through the droids, readying his liquid cable launcher. He had moved too quickly for the droids to aniticpate his bold maneuver.

"He did not just!" Obi-Wan protested, absolutely flabbergasted at Anakin's evident, and reckless, idea of a plan!

"Anakin!" Qui-Gon yelled at him over the crash of lightning, taking two of the droids with a slash of his lightsaber and flinging their bodies into the others with a quick grab and push with the Force. But it wasn't as though he actually had a better idea. "Last time you had a _fighter!_ " 

Anakin did not listen, going as far as he could, with athletic leaps and slashes of his saber to clear his path. Nor did he fire the liquid cable until he was actually Force Leaping from the edge of the landing deck, getting height. He had the angle, the way the rain was lashing down and the propulsion unit of the cable snapped out with enough force to connect on the floating tank, giving him an anchor to take himself to it as he began to fall on the downward side of the arc. His lightsaber flicked off, not wanting to risk it to a full immersion. 

"He gets that from you!" Obi-Wan informed his partner, bouncing blaster shots back at the droids to take them out with minimal effort.

"That's a matter of opinion!" Qui-Gon retorted, sending bolt after bolt back into the mass of droids crowding in around them. He wanted, desperately, to follow his reckless brat of a Padawan, but leaving Obi-Wan alone against these odds was not an option. 

"Go!" Obi-Wan urged setting his back in the doorway as he felt that debate. "I'll fall back inside, if I must!"

Anakin missed the edge of the ship, but he had the cable, and using it to reel himself in was easier than fighting the chop. As soon as he got his purchase on the ship, he looked for a way in and a battle droid helpfully opened an access point to contend with him.

"Thanks," he said, using his fist, still gripping the saber hilt, to make a violent punch of Force energy, crumpling the droid out of his way.

//I love you,// Qui-Gon threw the feeling, the surge of it, along their bond, saying "Watch yourself!" aloud before he went after their reckless brat, felling droids along the way. 

Obi-Wan answered with his own fierce love, but his mind was already dividing the battle before him into most effective targets, and ones that could not endanger him yet. He could not watch Qui-Gon's charge, or how he managed to make that leap; he could only hold his place.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber as soon as he entered through the hatchway, attacking the droids that tried to swarm him and tried to close the hatch. That earned a disabling strike for the hatch, keeping a retreat open, Anakin hoped, before he mentally mapped out the dimensions of this ship, and applied logic to discerning where the power reactor had to be.

Qui-Gon had watched Anakin do it, which made the process of his own fire-and-jump a little easier than Ani's had been -- not much, but a little. He did not go for that hatchway, it would be swarming with droids by now, but went for a few meters aft of it. One droid had popped out, was a second going to be so obliging, or was he going to have to cut his way in? 

Anakin kept the lightsaber whirling in front of him, the narrow passage he was in working to his advantage as he pushed forward… until a droid came at him from the other end of the hall. "Right, stupid, two access points," he chided himself as he Force Pushed the new attacker into a crumpled heap.

He hated that the droids were difficult to stop without damaging completely, but he had to get to the reactor to finish this.

A second hatchway did pop open, and Qui-Gon could hear blaster fire and metal crumpling inside before a droid, smarter than its predecessor, stuck its blaster out and just fired blindly.

Qui-Gon cut the blaster in half with a swing, clipped his lightsaber to his belt, and sank the Force into the droid's arm to yank it out of the hatch and drop it into the sea. "Huh. Droids don't float," he heard himself say as he pushed his lightsaber blade through the hatchway, testing for blaster fire. 

The lightsaber took a couple of hits… and then sliced a droid in pieces as it was thrown into the blade. The noise inside stopped for a moment.

"Come on in, Master; the water's fine… wait, the water's out there!" Anakin said.

" _Brat!_ " Qui-Gon yelled, but he did swing through the hatchway. "So, figured out where the power core is yet?" 

"Somewhere on the other side of the droids that keep coming to this hall?" Anakin offered, grinning at his Master. "Mid ship, based on configuration, down at least one deck," he added more professionally. He then took off at a run, hearing a rolling noise from the far end of the hall. He did not want to get pinned down by a droideka.

"Our Knight is a bad influence," Qui-Gon told him as they ran, "and you had a smart enough mouth before you began picking up tricks from him." 

"Why, Master, I'm shocked, and will have to tell Obi-Wan. He assures me he learned all of his sass at your knee!" Anakin told him, judging likely turns based on the math in his head of the interior space of the ship and its apparent power demands.

"Oh, no, he had that well before we met, I am assured," Qui-Gon retorted, turning around to block a shot at them from a droid and send it back. 

Anakin laughed, before growing utterly serious to use a shot from ahead to destroy an instrument panel… making a new doorway open nicely. "This way!" He settled into the run, deflecting and cutting as he had to, glad when he could hear the thrum of the reactor getting louder. "Why does it have to be so far inside?" he whined. "You're paying attention to how to get out, right, Master?" 

If he could make a delayed chain reaction, they could get out and free in time, provided the fighting didn't delay them too much.

"I thought you were," Qui-Gon replied, utterly innocent, then laughed, "of course I am, Ani, don't worry." 

"It's a good thing, Master, because I just know the way in," Anakin called back, before cursing repeatedly as more rolling noises hit at the far end of the bay they had opened out onto. It was the staging point, racks upon racks that were now empty, for the droids. If a droid would just shoot at them at the right moment…

...and three droids came blasting ahead of the droidekas, filling Anakin with faith in how the Force could provide. He angled two shots quickly at the rolling engine of death on his side, before it could unfold and deploy its shields. If he was just fast enough, that would leave only one.

Qui-Gon, for his part, had decided to see what happened if you grabbed one of the things with the force and held it pointed at the ceiling. 

"Interesting technique, Master," Anakin said, eyes scouting for the next step, sending a couple more deflections at the one Qui-Gon had stopped. His sense of mechanical things kicked in, and he dodged to the left, aiming for a service ladder in the bay wall, wanting to be on the walkway around the middle of the bay. "It's near!" he called encouragingly.

Qui-Gon dropped the scrap -- it hadn't, in fact, been able to deploy its shields in the air, good to know -- on top of the remaining droid and followed Anakin. 

Anakin scrambled up the ladder most of the way, then jumped, taking off at a run to stay ahead of the hunting droids. His sense of direction paid off, as they came out into an access view of the core reactor, one deck down like he'd predicted. He searched for the controls. Working out how to cause a positive feedback loop that the droids or their masters could not stop quickly enough took him about as long as it took for him to find those controls.

"Hold the door, Master," he told Qui-Gon, trusting the man to be able to do just that.

"No, I thought I'd try doing your job for you, my Padawan," Qui-Gon replied, dry-voiced, as he settled to do just that. Not really much of a problem, they were only B1 droids, after all. If a set of droidekas came chasing them, however, that would make things a little more dicey. 

Thankfully, he liked games of chance. 

"Well, if you insist…" Anakin teased, before setting himself to his task, setting the cascade in place, hoping the timing didn't kill them both. "You think Obi-Wan's made tea yet?" He asked it as he was disabling the controls completely, the feedback loop in place, a grin on his face. "By the way, we're going to have to swim for it unless you have a spare liquid cable; I only had the one."

The droids that had caught up to Qui-Gon had only been the B1s, with no rolling noises to make their chances slimmer. Anakin did a quick count as he came back over, ready for the run to safety.

"I've got a second," Qui-Gon agreed, putting down the last droid presently between them and the way out so that they could run for it. Again. "And while the water might be boiling, I doubt he's added the tea yet..." 

"Oh well, true. We haven't given him quite enough time to get it fully ready," Anakin said, keeping his lightsaber on his left as he ran with his Master, his right hand ready to Force Push rather than bog them down in the fighting. "I'm certain he's chosen a fragrant one, just to annoy me even."

"Or mint, for the exact same purpose," Qui-Gon agreed, noting that his Padawan was on the opposite side of him than usual in one moment and discarding it the -- "Ani, ladder!" he called, seeing a ladder they'd missed on their race to the core, pulling up short to get his Padawan headed up it. The faster they got _away_ from the blast, the better, and in the ocean, up was always the right choice.

Anakin swerved and was on his way swiftly; he knew his Master insisted that he, or Obi-Wan, move ahead so Qui-Gon could hold the rear. He also knew Qui-Gon was well aware that if a fight came, he would jump back down into it.

In the middle of his scrambling, an alarm sounded.

"Uh-oh, the feedback loop was noticed; might not have as much time as I thought," he warned.

"Then climb faster," Qui-Gon replied smoothly, following right after him. 

A few droids got in the way of their rapid ascent, but nothing they couldn't handle, working their way to the top and out in less time than it had taken to find the reactor.

++++

Obi-Wan was holding his own, building a wall of droid bodies and parts around the door, when the pressure of the door changed, and he flattened to the side of it before a squad of armored, older clones poured out in disciplined ranks, blasters sending droids flying. 

He might detest that the army had been created, but he had to admit they were methodical and precise as they entrenched around the door to destroy the droids attacking their facility.

"CC-2224, squad leader reporting sir!" one of the clones wearing a colored patch on one shoulder told him, even as he picked off two droids in two shots.

"Just keep holding this door, soldier!" Obi-Wan Kenobi yelled over the rain. "My friends are on that ship -- "

There was an ominous rumble, before the rain and night were split by the ship in question blowing up from its inside, and for half a heartbeat, Obi-Wan couldn't breathe.

No, there was the bond… and that was Anakin's… they were not on the ship.

"Yes sir," CC-2224 replied, sharp-voiced, before turning to look towards him for a moment at the explosion. His helm tilted slightly, then his attention returned to the droids in front of them, and his shots picked more off, quick and precise. 

The droids wobbled, but did not freeze, and faint, over the rain, he heard Anakin spit a Huttese profanity from somewhere... over his head?

Obi-Wan risked a look above, and saw the pair had managed to use a cable to clear from the ship to the facility structure.

"Well don't just hang around," he shouted up, Force projecting his voice. "Come finish the job!"

He then turned his attention back to the droids; at least they could not redeploy anymore of them to add to the carnage on the deck.

The clone troopers, seeing that the droids were less sure of their position, grew more bold, leaving the barricade of droid parts to take the fight further out under CC-2224's command.

"Well make us some room to land then!" Qui-Gon retorted in the same tone and volume, blocking the shots from the few droids that had somehow spotted them back down at them. 

"Should I dry it off so you don't slip?" Obi-Wan yelled back, smiling broadly and full of joy and pride in both of them. He did shove some of the droid debris aside, and stepped further away from the cleared spot.

"Absolutely!" Anakin replied, laughing before he made the jump down -- and promptly bounded out into the opened space the troopers were making to join in getting rid of more droids. Qui-Gon dropped down in the next moment, viewing the still mobile droids with profound displeasure. 

"Fantastic," he muttered, "the real control is orbital, and we have a yacht, not a starfighter." 

"At least there won't be reinforcements immediately," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. 

"The question is, will they drop more, and if so, how do we take out the main control?" Anakin asked, eyes glinting as he looked at the cruiser they traveled in.

"Sirs, we have ships," one of the clones offered. "Transports, but they have weapons and space capability," he volunteered.

"Oh, good, there're ships," Obi-Wan said with flat sarcasm.

Qui-Gon snorted once, swatting his beloved lightly with the Force, silent reminder to be kind to the children around them, before he answered Anakin, "I don't doubt they will, Anakin. The Trade Federation hasn't hunted us all the way here to leave just because they've lost one tank and a squadron of droids. 

"As to how we take it out... you're the one of us who has successfully destroyed one of those control ships, my Padawan, you tell me." Qui-Gon did not miss the sudden flare of intense interest and respect from the troopers close enough to hear his words. 

Anakin smiled, an almost feral expression. "Soldiers, do you have the ability to operate in zero gee and pressurized suits?"

"Yes, sir!" the closest soldier said. 

"Take me to a ship, and I'll need at least two heavy gunners in the squad going with me," Anakin said with confidence. He could navigate the hole if he could get them up there in time for them to launch one of their own ships. Five of the troops split off to accompany him immediately, following the orders of a lawfully appointed commander, namely the Jedi.

"May the Force be with you!" Obi-Wan told him sincerely, so proud of how easily he handled himself under pressure.

Qui-Gon turned his head, watching Anakin go for a moment before the droids still firing caught his attention again. He turned some of their bolts back on them, before the troopers put more of them down. That feral edge of a smile something half-concerning and half exhilarating, worrying about what exactly his Padawan was planning, but he _had_ told him to figure it out. 

His eyes swept the area, looking for markers between the clone troopers, and found one he recognized from all of the data. "Squad leader," he said, "we should not assume there was only the one submersible. And I know all too well that the droids can be modified to operate underwater. Also, I missed the introductions. You're...?." 

"CC-2224, sir. Taun We authorized our deployment to meet the needs of our commanders, sir," the leader told him. "We do have submersible gear, and can deploy depth charges at a distance, sir. With additional troops from the other squadrons, I can mount a patrol from the heights to keep watch, once all of these droids are disposed of, sir."

Obi-Wan did not like the idea of a serial number as a name at all.

"I'm grateful she did," Qui-Gon replied, feeling his disquiet with that serial number matched by Obi-Wan's. "She likely told you, but I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and this is Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. The young man headed for one of your ships is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. 

"And that sounds like an excellent plan." He nodded once, and set about the work of ridding the platform of the last of the droids. 

"Now the question becomes what to do with their remains..." 

"I suggest seeing if they can be taken inside and stripped for weapons, power supplies, and possibly processor units, in case those would yield any data," Obi-Wan said. "We have no idea how long we will be here, or the weaponry inside is equivalent to the needs of how ever many troops we wind up needing, much as it pains me to use them."

"Sir, we are eager to perform our tasks," the soldier nearest Obi-Wan volunteered. "This is what we exist for."

"And that is most appreciated, soldier, but we will not take advantage of it more than we must," Obi-Wan said firmly. 

A port in the building opened, high above, and a transport ship roared out, heading up into space. That made Obi-Wan smile at least; Anakin wasted no time.

CC-2224 was quickly organizing his men to keep a perimeter, allocating five more to debris clearance, who came trotting over in unison to await the orders on where.

"Efficient, aren't they?" Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon before his Master could go in to ask Taun We's advice.

"They are," Qui-Gon agreed, and squeezed his partner's shoulder for a moment, pressing soothing and calm down the bond between them. "I'll go speak to Taun We -- or Lama Su -- and figure out where we can store these things until they can be stripped. 

"Sith-spit, I left the credentials on board when we knew there was trouble. Well, at least we can't get any more soaked," he muttered, and jogged back to the ship to acquire them before he came back past Obi-Wan to step inside. 

"CC-2224," Obi-Wan called, jogging over to where the squad leader was. "How can I best assist you?"

"Sir, please remain out of the way and let us perform our duties until you need to give us new orders," the man told him.

"That's not really how Jedi work," Obi-Wan told him. "I prefer to help directly."

The clone trooper took a long moment to process that. "Sir, if you prefer, point these three men to appropriate vantage points, while I keep the patrol on this level from overlooking things."

"I can do that," the Jedi Knight told him. He beckoned to the three, and then surveyed the heights, choosing where to place each of the three until they could get reinforcements in place -- and Obi-Wan prayed they did not have to lean too heavily on the clones to do this.

Qui-Gon slipped inside the doors, and was not surprised to see both Taun We and Lama Su standing behind one of the solid sections immediately within. "Thank you for sending them to help us, Taun We and I am beyond sorry that the Separatists and Sith have brought their war to your doorstep." 

"It is not unexpected, given the nature of the product here," Lama Su said benignly. "How best may we now assist you, Master Jedi?" 

"This is a good test of them even if it is early, and the final directives have not been encoded yet. Then again, you do have concerns about the final orders," Taun We said. "Has this all been sorted out?"

"It has," Qui-Gon agreed, and offered them the message from the Council and their sealed credentials. That 'nature of the product here' phrasing was still obscene to him, but the Kaminoans were as they were. "I also have those revised contingency orders for you. 

"At the moment, I am concerned that another submersible might be near. CC-2224 suggested that with another squad and submersible gear, they could deploy depth charges and keep a better watch. Also, is there somewhere that we can move the destroyed droids to be stripped down, salvaged, and the processors searched for information?" 

"We have a load lift that can take them to the same bay your apprentice took the ship from," Lama Su said. "Taun We can lead you to the most finished product. Take as many of them as you need; they are yours. We regret if you lose any of them before completion, but you do understand that the early release of product can lead to incomplete training?"

"Not that they are that far behind," Taun We stated quickly. "As evidenced by the squadron I already released to you."

Qui-Gon forced down the return of his nausea at the 'we regret if you lose them before completion', and nodded. There was no point in expressing his displeasure at their priorities to the Kaminoans, not when there was no malice in it, no cruelty, only an alien view of the world. "I do understand that, Lama Su. I will also regret any loss, but they have performed excellently so far. 

"I will start Obi-Wan on moving them, then, and then be with you, Taun We," he added, and left them again. 

++++

Anakin coaxed as much speed as he could out of the transport, almost wishing he'd taken their cruiser instead. It had speed, and his plan was depending on the heavy gunners anyway but the transport actually had decent armor.

The control ship was smaller, not yet shielded, as they had not anticipated a ship maybe? It didn't really matter. Anakin thanked the Force, and gunned it for the opening he could see.

It was only as the transport shot through the opening that his Force sense went absolutely shot through with a sense of danger, like one step wrong was going to be the end for them all.

"Men, I'm taking us right to the reactor; destabilize it, then get back on the ship and we will get out before it blows," he said, not thinking about that danger sense. He could and would do this; his Master was depending on him.

There was a small problem with his plan, as he glided into view and their ship was surrounded by the bigger brute droids dropping down from catwalks and a droideka for every four of them.

"Uh oh," he said, understanding now. His confidence had been overblown; this was a trap to catch one or all of them.

"...those don't look like the ones at base," one of the troopers said, calm and analytic. "Take more of a pounding, sir?" 

"Yeah," Anakin agreed, having heard about these droids from reports by the Jedi sent to help after the assault on Kashyyyk, calculating quickly. "They do, and their processors are in under the torso armor. And it's no use at all aiming at the droidekas -- the ones all blue right now -- once they've got their energy shields up, but they're stationary then, too. When they move, they're as vulnerable as B1s. 

"This is going to get ugly," he murmured, reaching for the controls of the laser. "Get to the main hatch, all of you. I'm going to make us a hole in this, square at port. As soon as I start firing, get through that hole, I'll be right behind you. 

"Work aft from there and around, until we've broken this screen. If we lose the ship despite its shields, I'll just have to steal one of the droid drop ships for us." 

"Sir, yes SIR!" came the voices, unified, of his men. They were readying, easy in their pressurized suits, ready to go.

The droids, apparently, had not truly been expecting the kind of assault that followed, as the men followed so closely on the heels of the laser fire that one big hulk was still just powering up its laser. The droidekas were making their laser fire known, but the problem with such shielding and speed was a lack of true punch in the firepower, at least against these suits of armor.

Not one of the new clone troopers hesitated, pouring forward, letting Anakin bring up the rear as they sought their objective. The heavy gunners took down two of the brutes, and kept moving on the flanks of the wedge maneuver they'd chosen to deploy in.

Anakin heard one of the droidekas rolling, towards the bow, and whipped around to grab it with the Force and slam it into the closest of the hulks before it could get set again. _Sith-spit_ , how had his Master made that look easy?! 

But metal crumpled into metal, electricity spat, and he got both hands back on his lightsaber in time to reflect a blaster bolt from another of the hulks. That was where he was most needed, right now. 

...actually... He laughed, sudden, and bounced in the lower-Gee of the hold, getting up onto the back of one of the hulks and slashing down across the sensor array. The next one was in easy jumping range, and he bounced to it. Nice of them to bunch so close together, it was almost like he was just running.

The clone troopers managed to get a sight of him, filing it away to share with the others later. These Commanders they had been given were apparently quite capable warriors, and dangerous to the enemy. They also looked to have a touch of insanity in their tactics.

With the droids falling in mayhem from the way Anakin was slicing them, and the clones doing their best to stay together and in forward motion, it looked as if the trap wasn't built securely enough to catch the prey. The reactor was nearly in reach when one of the tanks near it activated, turret swinging around. 

Anakin had seen the damage those had done against the Gungans, and he needed to stop it quickly. A Force-Assisted leap could get him there, and he landed on the lid with his lightsaber plunging into the tank's turret, hoping to --

\-- it plunged to one side; he'd gotten the operator.

He nodded once, his eyes and senses sweeping for the next threat, didn't immediately sense one, and rode the plunging of the tank to where he could slice off the barrel of the next-closest tank while he was this high anyway. 

He flicked his lightsaber back off as he jumped down, hunting for more trouble. "Everyone okay?" 

"Still moving, sir!" the point man said, sweeping for trouble. The reactor was thrumming ahead, and Anakin could see they had not improved it. If it got off-balanced, it would explode, but with enough lead time for them to get in the ship and gone as long as they only stressed the supports initially, letting gravity do the rest.

That wasn't what he'd asked, but all right. He nodded again, and motioned to both of the gunners. "Okay, you need to take out one of those supports and damage the other to where it can only hold on a few more seconds, and then we need to be back on that ship in ten seconds, because the reactor will go as soon as those terminals connect. 

"The rest of you, go now, get strapped in." 

"Sir?" The three non-gunners all looked confused by that order, but the point man shook his helm.

"You heard him; let's go and make sure the path is still clear!" he ordered, setting them to running back, firing at anything that might still be a threat.

The two gunners took aim, taking out one support, and the entire reactor shuddered. More careful fire on the other one and the pair turned as one.

"Sir, move!" the one on the left said, looking ready to bodily carry the commander if they had to to keep him safe with them.

Anakin hadn't actually needed the encouragement -- he remembered how these things went off, and he took off back towards the ship at a pace he thought they could match, seconds counting down in his head. 

They kept up with him, peak athletes even without Force assistance, and the rest of the squad had gone one better, getting the ship up and hovering off the deck, just waiting for them to jump aboard and get out.

Anakin found himself grinning as he made the leap and got clear of the hatch, turning back to make certain that both of them also made it. He slapped the control as soon as they both hit the decking, and did use the Force now, to get forward, into the pilot's seat, and the ship streaking back out of the hold. 

The gunners strapped in, and the one who had taken copilot to get the ship ready was holding on to the armrests with a death grip as Anakin got them out breaths ahead of the beginning of the explosion. It was a bumpy ride as the force of the explosion and the minor gravity field of the ship buffeted them on their way out and back toward Kamino's atmosphere.

"Well that was fun," he said, aiming for the same dry tone Obi-Wan would use as he kept the ship headed back to the planet and city. "A little more exciting than I really wanted, but fun." 

"Sir, yes sir!" came a chorus of replies to that.

++++

Obi-Wan was relieved to see the same transport ship coming back in, only faintly marred by a few blast marks, but he'd already guessed Anakin had been successful, given the elation in the bond. He was still outside, keeping watch with CC-2224's squad, reinforced by members that answered to CT-7567. Some of both squads, more from the latter, as CC-2224 had given up men to Anakin and Qui-Gon, were in the water, diving to be certain the city's supports were safe.

They had to wait for the ship to land, and it did by going inside the same hatch that it had left from, the same bay the droid parts had been loaded to. Obi-Wan wanted to go in and get the full report with Qui-Gon, but he was stubbornly refusing to abandon the clones protecting them.

He could wait, no matter how soaked he was in his robes.

Qui-Gon, well above, on one of the slim catwalks that nearly disappeared into the smooth sides of the domes, was as soaked, if not more -- at this height from the sea, the winds whipped rain in every direction, and the lightning was almost close enough to feel -- but he kept the electro-binoculars up, sweeping with them and the Force alike. 

Anakin's exhilaration said that the threat should be ended but the B2 droids were capable of some limited maneuvering without the influence of an orbital control ship, and they could control tanks, so likely they could manage the ships, as well. The troopers scattered around the catwalk, ringing the city, all felt alert but calm, their binoculars and scanners making similar sweeps. 

"CX-3129," he said, hating the serial number, but needing immediate attention, "I need Anakin's report. Keep up the watch, I'll return soon." 

"Yes sir!" the trooper answered, before hand signing to space out a little more, to make up for the lack of the Jedi. 

Anakin had regaled the five troopers with him about the first time he'd gone up against a droid control ship, completely on accident, on the drop through the atmosphere. At one point, the one who had taken point finally asked him if all Jedi were a little crazy, and he got dogged by two of the others for being disrespectful to a superior officer.

Now, setting the ship down, Anakin felt a little better about interacting with the clones, feeling the shifting flow of the Force in each one, slowly marking them out as individuals in his mind. 

"Thank you, guys; great job up there," he assured them all.

"Thank you, sir!" came from five matching voices in perfect unison, and his mouth quirked slightly at them. 

"Normally I'd handle shutdown myself, but I need to get to my Master. Ship's in your hands, and I'll see you again soon," he told them, and left the ship to get out of the pressure gear. Once he was out of it and in his proper robes -- taking a second to stare at the pile of droids in momentary confusion -- he took off at a quick jog, following the feeling of his Master in his mind. 

Nor did it take him long, as Qui-Gon had evidently been coming to him, and Anakin gave him the biggest grin ever. "B2s make great landing points!" That would be enough to tell his Master everything had gone great in his usual enthusiastic fashion. "What still needs to happen here?"

" _Anakin_ ," Qui-Gon sighed, still wiping water out of his face even as he reached to squeeze his shoulder. His Padawan had been up to incredibly reckless things, if that was how he started telling him what had happened. "I have some men watching the surface for B2s in command of other submersibles, Obi-Wan is overseeing a team diving to check the footings and deploy a depth charge perimeter. You might have noticed the pile of droids in your bay?" 

Anakin nodded, and Qui-Gon went on, "We're going to strip them for power packs, weapons, and processor -- " 

"Right, then that's where I'm headed," Anakin cut in, torn between pleasure at the thought of so much work to do and sadness at the loss of so many droids that had only been doing what they were programmed to. "Anything else you need from me?" 

"An actual _report_ would be nice." 

"Sure thing, Master, as soon as I get the droids worked over into usefulness," Anakin promised him, the bright grin flashing again. "Short report is, the control ship blew up, and we didn't get more than a few scratches."

"And you panicked for a moment because?" Qui-Gon asked, one eyebrow raising as he gave his Padawan an exasperated look. 

"Panic? Me?" Anakin gave him the most innocent expression. "I didn't panic a bit. I merely had to make a new strategic plan on the go, Master." At the impassive yet mildly reproving look (and Anakin would love to know how his Master managed to combine those), he sighed and shook his head. "It was a trap. The droids were waiting for me. Not that it did them any good."

"A trap," Qui-Gon murmured, watching Anakin's sigh and admission with a flare of concern he did his best to squelch. Anakin was right here in front of him, he was _fine_. "That's concerning. But well done, Ani." 

A trap deliberately set for his Padawan, with droids the main force of the attack… "Be careful, my Padawan," he murmured softly. "If they meant to take you, not kill you--" 

That hadn't actually crossed Anakin's mind, Qui-Gon knew instantly. Anakin's face went from beaming to a dark, thunderous look in one heartbeat, the jaw clenching and showing anger in the tension of it.

"I understand, Master."

Qui-Gon nodded and stretched his hand out to his Padawan, hand resting gently on his shoulder, looking down into his eyes. He would turn significant portions of the galaxy inside-out to recover his student and friend, if it came to that, and Obi-Wan would do just as much, but far better if it never came to that. Far, far better. "Good, Ani. You and I are neither one good at caution -- but let's not make our enemy's life easy, mmm?

"Go on, now, there's a squadron of droids to take apart." 

Anakin nodded sharply. He would be glad to have the droids to focus on, taking them apart so they could be used for better purposes. It would be the right kind of focus to keep the murderous thoughts at bay.

He was _not_ going to Fall, even -- especially -- against his will!

Qui-Gon let go and let Anakin disappear back towards his project, and returned to the exterior catwalk to keep watch, and to attempt to calm his own dangerously edged thoughts. They coiled in his mind anyway. If that Sith (that had for so long fooled them all) thought that he could take part of _his_ family and not pay for it -- 

\-- no, no. That was the kind of anger he needed to avoid, to release. That way led only to the Dark Side. Focus instead on defending them, on protection, not possible retribution.

There was a brush of warmth, of concern, along his bond with Obi-Wan, his lover worrying for the strong emotions, but Obi-Wan was also very dedicated to duty. The younger man was keeping watch, checking periodically on the divers, and circulating among the clones to be sure they were all handling this well. It didn't keep him from tipping his head back at one point to look up at Qui-Gon's high vantage point, though.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and leaned into that brush of warmth, finding the strength and steadiness somewhere to press reassurance along the bond. They would see each other to discuss this soon enough. The B2s had a limited amount of time that they could operate with no guidance, and they would come to the end of it within the hour. Then he would see Obi-Wan, and could explain. 

It was not much later, as Obi-Wan was making a sweep of the landing pad, to be certain he could not see anything (as the rain and lightning made things horribly dark and bright by turns), that their perseverance with a watch paid off. The clones on the decking level felt, rather than heard, what those higher up could see. Another submersible had been riding under the dark water, hidden quite effectively until now, and had run afoul of at least one, if not two depth charges, just off the platform.

The explosion highlighted the ship as it had to begin surfacing, and the clones all unslung their blasters, sighting in with deadly efficiency to handle the droids that would soon spill out.

Three uppermost hatches opened in an odd stagger, and the tiny sensory-array bulbs of bulky B2 units poked out of each. A moment later, the droids began hauling themselves upright on the submersible, lowering right-arm laser cannons to fire. Qui-Gon bit back a curse -- at this range, there was nothing he could do to aid the soldiers around him -- and had to remind himself to breathe. 

The clones aimed for joints, even in the poor visibility, anticipating more success at breaking arms off than actually penetrating the dense armor casing. Those on the platform took knees, and opened up fire as well, strategically placed so that they had some cover.

Obi-Wan, of course, readied his lightsaber and used it to defend, as much as he could, using the powerful laser blasts on the droids themselves with careful redirects. He heard one trooper too near him get thrown back in a clatter of armor, and moved, placing himself between any more shots and that soldier, redoubling his efforts.

The clones, seeing how durable the B2s were, started doubling up, sometimes tripling up, taking on the same targets so that concentrated fire on the weapon port, the arm joint, and the face-plates could slowly turn the fight in their favor.

CC-2224 called out an order over comms, and the divers still in the water moved as the firefight continued. Depth charges closest to the submersible were moved, reset for timed explosions, and then the divers were moving away as fast as they could. The droids, single-minded in how they fought with no guidance, never even knew their doom, as three separate charges blew up around their vessel, cracking it open further to the merciless waves.

Qui-Gon breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the droids and the ship sank into the waves. Their surface blasters should short out underwater, and then, even if their circuitry held up to the ocean, the divers could deal with them and there wasn't much time left for the B2s to operate, in any case.

Anakin, he realized, must not have been able to hear the battle, or he would have seen his Padawan's lightsaber added to Obi-Wan's -- or possibly something more reckless. Just as well he hadn't. 

"Not much longer, men, and we can get out of this mess," he said to the closest trooper, "even those brutes only work on their own for a little while." 

"That's a relief, sir," the trooper answered him.

As soon as Obi-Wan was free from deflection, he sped back to the downed soldier, checking to see if he could help him in any way. CC-2224 was coming to report, and was momentarily startled to see the Jedi kneeling by the downed man, head bowed in what might have been grief.

"Sir, orders?"

Obi-Wan looked up, and his face was sad. "Have your men take this man's body inside," he said. "For whatever death customs you hold." He then forced himself to his feet. "That was very good thinking, CC-2224, having your men move the charges to the ship."

"Seemed only right, sir," CC-2224 replied, responding to the praise instead of his confusion over the commander's obvious sadness. He gave a quick hand-sign order to two of the others, and they came to gather up CN-5043 to take him to the cremation chamber. 

That had only been used a few times that CC-2224 knew of, occasions when live-fire training had ended badly. This was the first time they had lost a brother in combat, and something ached in his chest. 

"Do you think there are more ships out there, sir?" 

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, and he felt the normal wildlife growing braver, coming closer.

"No, I don't think any are close enough to do harm in the space of time they have left. We'll need to pull any further explosives out of the water, to protect the fish." Obi-Wan looked at the men who had been keeping vigilant watch. "Are your men able to do that now, or should they rest and eat first?"

CC-2224 blinked once, pleased that the Jedi could not see it, and tried to make sense of that question. There were missions to finish, of course they were able to do it. "We're fine, sir. Consider it done." 

++++

Obi-Wan sighed as he sat, finally dry and starting to warm up, with his partner and Anakin, sometime later. Anakin had described the entire flight up, the battle, and the return. Obi-Wan was alarmed at the idea that Anakin might have been meant for capture in that droid trap. 

"This means we will have to be even more careful about not separating," Obi-Wan said. "It also means that that Sidious is aware of our movements, either through spies, deduction, or foresight. Any one of the three can be beaten, but the likely combination of them makes it far more difficult."

"Could anyone expect us to go to Geonosis, straight from here?" Anakin asked. He'd given more thought to the plan to infect the B1s with a virus, and now that he had lots of B1 processors to toy with, he was pretty certain he could get such a thing going.

"...not without foresight, but that may be what has given us away so far," Qui-Gon replied, giving their youngest a long, concerned look. "And what exactly are you thinking, my Padawan? Escaping Geonosis the last time was interesting enough, I thought." 

"We won't really have to go into the compound, not very far." Anakin's smile upwards was edged but pleased. "I can rebuild a squad of B1s, with a personality modifier that is contagious. They get back in, and once they reconnect to their droid 'net, the modifier spreads. It may only affect the B1s; I haven't studied the B2s enough yet. But the bulk of their forces seem to rely in the original models. 

"This will cause severe disruption, and probably lead to production shut downs," he said, "in order to find out where and how the flaw was introduced. Purging and memory wipes will have to happen en masse, because if even one droid still has it, it will replicate out the moment that droid reconnects to the droid 'net."

"And what kind of modifier are you plotting to use that would be so devastating?" Obi-Wan asked him.

"I can recreate Threepio's personality as a virus," Anakin answered, amused that his solution had begun as a whimsical thought.

"You what?" Qui-Gon asked, blinking at him, startled. "An entire personality, as a virus?" 

Obi-Wan had to smile; Threepio was rather unique in terms of droids, acting as a protocol droid but with something approaching a nanny droid mentality on it.

"It's not that hard; I made him in the first place," Anakin reminded his Master. "Granted, I didn't mean to make him quite that fussy, but I can do it again."

Qui-Gon shook his head, but smiled at his Padawan. "If you say so, Ani. All right. No reason not to try it -- especially when it just might work." 

"While he's building droids and corrupting them to play nanny, I'll do more to get to know the clones," Obi-Wan said, "leaving you time to make certain the new contingency orders are accepted. Though I admit to still not liking the idea of orders they cannot ignore, no matter how carefully you and the Council worded them."

Qui-Gon felt a surge of pride in his partner at that displeased grumble at the idea of some of those orders being so powerfully placed that they could not be ignored. "I know," he agreed. "I don't like it, either. 

"I mean to discuss the reasons for that particular decision at some length with Taun We, before we go forward with that portion, my own." Qui-Gon was almost certain that Darth Tyranus was at the root of what was innocuously called 'Order 66', and if Taun We could confirm that, they were just going to replace 'Order 66' with 'there is no Order 66.'

Anakin looked up at his Master, his head currently resting on the man's leg from where he had sprawled, and frowned. "I'd hate to see us save them, and then some future threat figures out how to subvert an order that can't be ignored, taking away their freedom again. I wonder, if the contingency orders are necessary, can the chip used to bind them be rendered inactive, completely, when the soldiers retire?"

"Brilliant idea to ask after, Ani," Obi-Wan praised him, patting the youth's hair as he was on the opposite side of Qui-Gon, making use of the broad shoulder on that side for leaning his head on.

Qui-Gon nodded, his hand resting lightly on Anakin's side turning into a light squeeze. "So do I, Anakin... and I'll inquire about that. We'll do all we can for them, Ani. 

"I _am_ pleased to hear that you had one that was willing to be acerbic, at least." 

Anakin grinned. He'd loved when the point man of his squad had asked if all Jedi were crazy. "Master, I am afraid we may have given them all very unrealistic expectations."

Obi-Wan snorted at that. "If their first impression that they judge the Order by is the three of us? They could do worse."

"So they could," Qui-Gon agreed, even as pride and satisfaction welled up in him again at his partner's response. "So they could. I do wish your Bant was here -- she might actually _like_ this abominable weather, and would be better at watching below than we have any chance of being.

"Because they're going to come again." 

"Do you think Master Plo Koon could request a task force from the Mon Cal? Or would we have to reveal the scope of this finding to the Senate before they would be able to assist us?" Obi-Wan asked. He did think Bant would find this place more to her liking than he did. 

"Maybe our plan for the droid armies will buy us a little more time," Anakin offered.

"To get any significant number, the Council would have to go to the Senate, yes," Qui-Gon agreed, rather unhappily, and he hummed thoughtfully at Anakin's thought. "It might, Ani, it might. 

"We'll have to see." 

+++++

Obi-Wan found his own way to the barracks where the most mature units were, walking quietly and unhurried through their common areas. The instant attempt to snap to attention bothered him, and he willed peaceful feelings to flow from him as he nodded and smiled at those he saw. His steps took him to where the more familiar presences were, until he could see CC-2224 and CT-7567 discussing future plans for defense of the facility, and adapting it for other facilities on the world. They both stopped, coming to attention sharply.

"Please, be at ease, gentlemen," Obi-Wan said. "I came in hopes that I could offer any assistance, or even just learn a bit about you and your men."

"I don't think there's much to learn, sir," CC-2224 replied, relaxing out of attention to make room for their commander to take a seat if he so wished. "But if you would tell us more about the kinds of droids, and what other vehicles and weapons they might have, that would help with our planning. 

"If Jango were here, that would help as well, but he left on a job before the first time you came, and hasn't returned yet." 

"Getting Taun We to authorize more of our units to be available would be helpful, too," CT-7567 told Obi-Wan. "We need to be able to maintain a full rotation of watch rosters."

"I think Master Qui-Gon will be handling that part," Obi-Wan said. "But, yes, I can certainly brief you on what I've learned, both from two trips to their depot, and reports of engagements on various worlds so far."

CC-2224 nodded, altering his datapad to pull up its note-taking function, CT-7567 shifting his weight and gaze to fully focus on the commander's brief. 

It felt uncomfortable in the recesses of Obi-Wan's mind to be at the forefront of their attention, but it was necessary and might protect them better. Maybe, just maybe, it would also help him find a way to encourage them to begin choosing names and focusing on individuality.

+++++

Anakin gave Qui-Gon a sheepish look as he met up with his Master. He'd taken two days to build as many droids as he could, their processors completely reformatted. He'd had plenty of help too, as the clones had volunteered to learn from him and assist. 

"Master, this mission to Geonosis; we have volunteers to go with us," he admitted finally. "My squad is very upset at the idea of us going alone, especially as they anticipate better defenses, because I might have told them of our sneaking in the first time."

Qui-Gon gave Anakin a long look, not entirely certain which part of that he was most exasperated by, and sighed. "Four or Eight?" 

At least Anakin had said 'squad' and not 'platoon', because he was _not_ figuring out how to manage taking thirty-two of the troopers along. A half-platoon might be possible, but he would still prefer fewer. On this mission, they needed stealth and mobility, not numbers. And none of these children were adults yet, why was he even considering -- 

\-- because it was a sign of individuality and independence, that they would express emotions and desires. He was not going to deny them that chance. 

"It was the whole platoon, but I pointed out that because we had salvaged so many droids, we'd need space in the transport. So I got it down to an eight, and they're holding a blaster contest in the shooting range now to decide which eight," Anakin told him, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd apologize, Master, but it means they really can branch out and be individuals."

"I'd just come to that same decision, Ani. You don't need to apologize. A marksmanship contest, really?" 

"They want to be certain we are safe," Anakin said, shrugging. "It's strange, Master. I know they only try so hard because they've been made that way. I just want to prove that I won't let _them_ down, though. Because they didn't ask for any of this."

Qui-Gon reached out, smiling down at his Padawan -- not that he would be able to do that much longer, Anakin would be as tall as he was soon -- as he nodded. "No, they didn't," he agreed, "and we won't let them down, Ani. For exactly that reason." 

"Good," Anakin said, smiling. "So I'll get the droids loaded and leave room for them." He looked pleased that he hadn't unduly upset his Master _and_ he got to keep working with the troops. It gave him a better idea on how to someday help them be free.

He nodded his agreement, and squeezed Anakin's shoulder one more time before they separated again. Anakin ran off to get things done, so he could catch at least some of the marksmanship competition. Life was never dull, he knew, but some of this challenge was actually making him feel like he could make a difference.

++++

Taun We gave Qui-Gon the most confused look he had seen yet on a Kaminoan in the time they had been working together.

"Master Jinn, the chip is the only safeguard to insure adequate responsibility of the units. We had allowed the donor to train a small subset in more independent ways, and the results indicate that such is detrimental to the overall performance of the units in numbers.

"The chip keeps them from being able to be captured and retrained against the Order or Republic, for instance. It minimizes chances of having units turn against their orders, preventing disruptions in their organization," she explained. "Releasing them without insuring the chips are active and programmed with a full range of emergency protocols could very well unleash more chaos than a war would. The humans and variants thereof are just to unpredictable when left to chance."

The worst part, Qui-Gon thought for the hundredth time, of working with Kaminoans was the honest concern in their eyes when they said things like that. "I suppose I must agree with that humans are very unpredictable," he said slowly, "and well known for independence. 

"The Jedi do not typically consider that a flaw, but I can see where it would be undesirable in a soldier." 

Taun We relaxed some then, thinking he was being reasonable. "Exactly. The chip will give them a far better ability to remain within parameters, potentially allowing far greater numbers to come through campaigns, as we will have reduced a common detrimental factor to life expectancy, by ruling out betrayal."

Qui-Gon took a slow breath, then another, as he weighed that viewpoint against his own beliefs, against the tenets of the Order... and found that it still came up wanting. But there was precious little use in arguing with the Kaminoans on their business practices. All he could do was blunt the effects as much as possible. "All right, Taun We. But as we Jedi do respect life and free will, let us limit the number of those orders that _must_ be followed, no matter the being's will, to as few as are necessary, yes?" 

"That we can certainly do, Master Jinn. Have you revised the contingency orders to your liking? We do not want this Sith influence damaging the units, after all." Taun We made a graceful hand motion. "Your credentials are more than acceptable, and we will trust in your judgment for what is deemed best to support our end goal of perfection."

"We have," Qui-Gon agreed, and pulled out that datapad from his robes. "Many of these were perfectly acceptable as they are; some others required extensive work." He offered it to her, to allow her to peruse them at length. 

Taun We accepted the data pad and began reviewing the clauses and conditions for triggering them. She made a quiet little noise now and then, but worked her way through one by one. Eventually, she looked at him, inclining her head. "These will be implemented, and then the units will be complete. I understand you have eight units intending to go with you for a trial exercise, and the rest of those already released to limited usage are to set up a garrison here? These will be the first ones we apply this to."

He hated the thought of that, but the Kaminoans were not going to be budged on this. "We do, and yes," he agreed. "They have wonderful initiative, Taun We, it makes them excellent to work with." 

"Oh that is most pleasing to hear, Master Jinn. And, with this project evidently at risk from outside forces, it is a pleasure that you allow your units to defend our facilities," Taun We said. "It has been some time since our world was preemptively attacked for providing goods."

'Some time', Qui-Gon heard, and wondered how long that had been. A century, a millennium, ten millennia? 

Any of those numbers were possible, really. "We do not wish to see anything happen to your city, or to the young and immature beings still training." He could not, _would_ not, make himself say 'units', but he could compromise on 'beings'. "So they must be your defense." 

"Thank you, Master Jinn. Now, I will take this to Nala Se, so that we can begin finishing touches on the most mature lots," Taun We told him. She made to leave, all business now that they were able to move forward.

Qui-Gon rose, old habit of politeness, and bowed to her before she left. He hadn't won on the damned inhibitor chips but he had, hopefully, shown that they prized initiative and independence, and there would be as few of those inalterable, undeniable orders as possible. 

It would have to be enough. 

What had happened to those others, the 'undesirably independent' ones? 

And where was the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, whose clone-son Anakin had so enjoyed meeting? Would he return soon? 

+++ 

Obi-Wan came out to find CC-2224, who had been deemed the overall commander of the Kamino garrison effort, with CT-7567 as his right hand. He had a couple of transmitters, limited frequency and encrypted, to give to them as they saw to placing weapon rigs.

"Commander; Captain," he began. "Before we leave for our mission, I wanted to make certain you had the ability to communicate with us. These are tied into the frequency the three of us use," he explained, handing one to each of them. 

CT-7567 took one of the devices and handed the other over to the commander. "This will make it easier to keep you informed, sir," he said.

"That's the idea," Obi-Wan replied, flashing a quick smile at them both. "I have this feeling we're all going to get very used to having them around." 

"We will have all facilities secured before you return, sir," CC-2224 assured him, even as he put the transmitter away in a pouch on his belt. He then turned back to the task at hand, as efficient in this as anything else.

Obi-Wan had to stop himself from shaking his head. The clones _could_ be spontaneous and warm up to individuality, based on the five that had accompanied Anakin originally. It was just going to take some time.

**Author's Note:**

> The clones, despite the eldest batches being physically close to 15, are a scarily effective fighting force due to training. I still felt it best to tag for Child Soldiers because even our Trio hates letting them risk themselves.


End file.
